Academy team poised to fire at nationals
THE respected NBA Global Academy is set to dominate this week’s Australian Under-20s Nationals in Geelong with a side featuring the world’s finest rising stars.
The Canberra-based NBA Global Academy – which has produced likes of Josh Giddey and Dyson Daniels – will enter a formidable team in the national boys tournament.
The nine-man squad is loaded with national and international experienced players who are projected to follow in Giddey’s footsteps and one day feature in the NBA.
Seven-foot sensation Rocco Zikarsky headlines the gifted group.
Zikarsky, the 16-year-old from Queensland’s Sunshine Coast, is coming off a hugely successful year in 2022.
He was named Basketball Queensland’s male athlete of the year, under-18 national champion and his Queensland South side won team of the year at the Queensland Sports Awards.
Zikarsky is in the mix to make his senior Boomers debut in this month’s World Cup qualifiers against Bahrain and Kazakhstan.
In the meantime, the gun 220cm centre is focused on helping his NBA Global Academy achieve success at the Under-20s Nationals.
Zikarsky will be flanked by some of the best emerging basketballers, including Dash Daniels, Luke Fennell and Emmett Adair. Daniels, the younger brother of New Orleans Pelicans and Boomers guard Dyson Daniels, is being tipped to have a bright future.
He is already regarded a superior shooter to his older sibling, while he possesses similar physicality to his big brother.
Long-serving Australian Institute of Sport mentor and former North Melbourne and Adelaide NBL player Marty Clarke will coach the NBA Global Academy side.
Clarke, the academy technical director, has worked closely with the likes of Andrew Bogut, Patty Mills, Joe Ingles and more recently Giddey prior to the Melbourne-born guard joining the OKC Thunder in the NBA.
KommunityTV will be the only place you can watch all of the action, with exclusive live streams of every match from February 14-19.